Labor MP Dan Repacholi has responded to criticisms of the government after ABS data yesterday showed inflation was up from last month, emphasising that inflation numbers were “much better” than those the government inherited when it was elected.
“[Inflation] is much better than what we inherited when we came into government. We have done a lot of work in this space to make sure that we are getting it down and getting it to manageable levels.
“We are doing smart, responsible budgeting, and this is what happens before a budget. You go out, you reach out to all the departments, and you have the conversation with them and see what is needed and what isn’t needed in their program,” Repacholi told Nine’s Today program this morning.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
Asked how the government plans to make the necessary cuts to drive down inflation following yesterday’s numbers showing an increase from 3.6 per cent inflation at the end of September to 3.8 per cent at the end of October, Repacholi said the government could not pre-empt what departments would tell them after reviewing where they might cut costs.
“We will wait and see what departments come back with. We can’t come out and talk about it when we’ve asked them to go and have a look at it. We can’t pre-empt what anybody’s going to say to us.”
Earlier this week, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher asked government departments to review their budgets. She told ABC Radio National this morning:
“This is not an exercise in job cuts. This is an exercise in fiscal discipline.”
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